CDC Director sees some promising developments but uneven progress Dr. Tom Frieden speaks with Yusif Koroma, an Ebola survivor who is now taking of orphans at a nearby social services center.  Image source: Heidi O’Bra, CDC. Atlanta, GA–(ENEWSPF)–December 22, 2014. After more than a year of Ebola transmission in Guinea[Read More…]

OREGON–(ENEWSPF)–December 22, 2014. When it comes to medical marijuana reform, the State of Indiana is likely not the first state that comes to mind. However, emboldened by new federal policy that de-funded medical marijuana raids in states that have passed medical marijuana laws, Indiana appears to have a medical marijuana[Read More…]

CHICAGO–-(ENEWSPF)–December 22, 2014. With 2015 quickly approaching, Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) Director Rocco Claps is reminding employers that a measure providing job protection for pregnant women goes into effect on January 1st and employers are required to post information about it in the workplace. Public Act 98-1050, sponsored[Read More…]

Silver Spring, Maryland–(ENEWSPF)–December 19, 2014.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Viekira Pak (ombitasvir, paritaprevir and ritonavir tablets co-packaged with dasabuvir tablets) to treat patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infection, including those with a type of advanced liver disease called cirrhosis. Hepatitis C is[Read More…]

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon meets with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Monrovia. UN Photo/Evan Schneider MONROVIA–(ENEWSPF)–19 December 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that there is reason to be “cautiously optimistic” about defeating the Ebola crisis in West Africa, as[Read More…]

Nation’s Largest Nurses Group Cites Greater Advocacy Role at Bedside, Beyond in Year of Ebola Silver Spring, Maryland–(ENEWSPF)–December 19, 2014.  In what has become a holiday tradition, registered nurses are once again viewed as the most trusted profession in the U.S., according to an annual Gallup survey conducted December 8-11.[Read More…]

First LDT companion diagnostic test also approved to identify appropriate patients Silver Spring, Maryland–(ENEWSPF)–December 19, 2014.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today granted accelerated approval to Lynparza (olaparib), a new drug treatment for women with advanced ovarian cancer associated with defective BRCA genes, as detected by an FDA-approved test.[Read More…]

Tel Aviv, Israel–(ENEWSPF)–December 18, 2014.  Cannabis use is not associated with increased incidences of major depression, according to longitudinal data published online ahead of print in the Journal of Affective Disorders. An international team of investigators from Israel and Canada assessed the association between cannabis use, major depressive disorder (MDD)[Read More…]

Friday, Dec. 19: One Week After Death of Eight Year Old Donella Nocero, Patients and Caregivers to Rally Outside Governor Cuomo’s NYC Office to Demand Emergency Access to Medical Marijuana New York –(ENEWSPF)—December 18, 2014. Today, the NY Department of Health released the draft regulations for the medical marijuana program. While[Read More…]

National Institutes of Health-supported study examines prescribing patterns Bethesda, Maryland–(ENEWSPF)–December 18, 2014.  Prescription use of benzodiazepines — a widely used class of sedative and anti-anxiety medications — increases steadily with age, despite the known risks for older people, according to a comprehensive analysis of benzodiazepine prescribing in the United States.[Read More…]